Our focus

What we're doing

COO focuses on specific geographic areas and changing polices and systems that can impact our entire region. Three strategies work together to create change.

Geographic and cultural focus includes ongoing investments in current geographic communities chosen in 2015. Communities are located in the 35% of the County with the most disparate health and well-being outcomes or from more specific populations that are clustered within those tracts. This includes some rural pockets of poverty.

In February 2015, The Seattle Foundation and King County announced investments of $1.5 million to expand successful community efforts that confront increasing inequity. The three recipient places are SeaTac and Tukwila, through Global to Local; the Rainier Valley in Southeast Seattle through HomeSight; and the White Center/North Highline unincorporated area through the White Center Community Development Association. This collaborative work—driven by each community's agenda and priorities—will address root causes of what's contributing to health, social, racial, and economic inequities. See press release for more details.

Institutional, system and policy change funds organizations of various sizes engaging in work to shape systems and policies that reverse inequities.

In October 2014, Seattle Foundation and King County announced a first round of investments, which focus on improving equity through policy and systems level work that engages or is led by affected communities. Over 90 organizations submitted applications and more than $915,000 in grants were awarded to 12 organizations. Communities of Opportunity 2016 Systems and Policy Change Grants awarded $1,226,000 in grants to 18 local efforts leading systems and policy change work in King County.

Learning community brings all of this work together to incubate ideas, accelerate what works and spread positive change at a regional level.

Learn more from COO Frequently Asked Questions and the COO Logic Model.

What are the results COO is aiming to achieve?

• All people thrive economically
• All people have quality, affordable housing
• All people are healthy
• All people are connected to community and have voice

These results reflect the priorities of communities and short and medium-term outcomes will continue to be developed in close partnership with community partners.

How did COO start?

COO started as an innovative partnership in 2014 between King County and Seattle Foundation based on the research that where a child grows up—the community in which they live—greatly impacts their health and well-being. This unique public-private and community-based partnership allows us to achieve greater impact and broader system change than if we approached the work in independent silos.

How have community members been involved?

Complex challenges require new approaches and real community engagement. This requires that community members be at the table from the beginning to harness their perspectives, relevant knowledge and lived experience.

Community members have a vitally important role in shaping COO.  Since 2015, over 90 community residents along with 45 community organizations and their leaders have co-designed solutions in partnership with our subject-matter experts at King County and Seattle Foundation.

Where we are focusing

Communities of Opportunity is working in the 20% of King County census tracts that rank lowest on an index of the ten measures in the table below. There are almost 400 census tracts in King County and each has an approximate population size of 5,000.

Map of King County, Washington: Census tracts ranked by an index of health, housing and economic opportunity measures

Data: Public Health – Seattle & King County and King County Department of Community and Human Services 2015, www.kingcounty.gov/coo

Learn more how using maps of health and well-being disparities identified geographic focus areas for Communities of Opportunity in this video, "Truth on a Map."